San Francisco-based independent record label founded by the punk band Dead Kennedys in 1979. The label is still owned and run by former Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra. It's best known as a punk rock label, but due to Biafra's eclectic and wide-ranging tastes, AT's roster includes a wide variety of underground rock, including punk, hardcore, and metal.
The label was first used to release the Dead Kennedys' 1979 self-produced single California Über Alles. After realizing the potential of the independent label, they released records for other bands as well. Dead Kennedys guitarist East Bay Ray and vocalist Jello Biafra formed Alternative Tentacles, but by the mid-'80s Biafra had become the sole owner of the company.
Sadly short-lived in the early '80s, Alternative Tentacles opened a London-based UK office to facilitate special editions of American punk records previously unavailable in Europe, many of which were licensed from other independent American labels. Among this was material on SST Records (Black Flag, Hüsker Dü) and Dischord Records, in addition to UK pressings of all American Dead Kennedys releases.
The label was also a distribution hub for Elemental Records.
Due to a court ruling regarding a 2000 lawsuit, Alternative Tentacles no longer owns the rights to Dead Kennedys' recordings.